BJP councillor accuses SAD-run MC of ignoring development in his ward

BJP councillor accuses SAD-run MC of ignoring development in his ward.At a time when Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are trying to bring their coalition back on the track, BJP councillors here have accused the SAD-run municipal corporation of ignoring development in their wards.

BJP councillor accuses SAD-run MC of ignoring development in his ward.At a time when Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are trying to bring their coalition back on the track, BJP councillors here have accused the SAD-run municipal corporation of ignoring development in their wards.

However, this is not for the first time that SAD and BJP councillors have been at loggerheads here as earlier differences of opinion have often come to the fore whenever the SAD initiated talks for changes in town planning schemes and during discussions over developmental approach towards the wards represented by BJP councillors and lack of allocation of funds.

In the fresh instance, BJP councillor from ward number 4 Rulda Singh Khushdil has accused mayor Amarinder Bajaj of not starting any developmental project in his ward for the past one year.

"For the past several months, I have been making rounds of the mayor's office to prepare tenders for the construction of roads in my ward but every time, I get nothing but assurance pills," he alleged. It may be recalled that earlier this year, BJP leaders had come up with the same allegations and even accused the SAD-led general house of the municipal corporation of taking credit for all the projects.Pertinently, Rulda also submitted his resignation with thethen commissioner Parminder Singh Gill after SAD councillor Ranjit Kaur tried to take credit by installing a foundation stone pertaining to the construction of road in Rulda's ward. However, his resignation was not accepted after Bajaj intervened and removed the foundation stone.

"The discrimination with me can be gauged from the fact that the roads of the wards represented by SAD councillors around my ward have been constructed and properly managed," said Rulda.

He added the construction of roads in his ward was taken up, but the civic body left the work in-between making it difficult for residents to even walk on the roads."I have taken up the matter with local BJP leaders and have decided to sit on a protest if my demands are not met at the earliest," he added.District BJP (urban) president Anil Bajaj said the matter was in his notice and he would soon take it up with the mayor.

"A meeting of BJP councillors will be held to discuss the matter and it will be seen whether such discrimination has been done with Rulda only or other BJP councilors are also going through same situation," he said.

Patiala mayor Amarinder Bajaj said there was nothing like that. "The allegations are baseless since we started sewerage work in Rulda's ward only last week. I think, he has the habit of levelling such groundless accusations," Bajaj said.